Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-07-09

Stos,e upon his head. But these men did
noa - much klll Stephen as they killed them
selVeS Every stone rchoanded upon them.
While thcse murlereES are translixed by the
seorn II all good men, stephen lives in the
admiration of all ChriStendom Stephen
SSo,ncds hut stephen alive. So all good mon
must be pelted, All who viii live godly in
CHRIST JESUS must suffer persecution. Its no
ealosy q man TO say that everybody likes
hlnA show me any one who is doing
all his duty TO State or Church. and will
show yoa scorcs Of men who utterly abhor
HIM
II all men speak well u You, il is because
yoa are esther a laggard or dolt II
ssssmer mAsss RAPID p'Ssr's through the
around il, Brave soldiers Of Jesus Christ
will hear the carhincs click. When l see a
man with Vetce, and money, and influence
all On the right side, and some caricature
him, and sense Snccr at him, and some de-
Roance him, and men who pretend TO be act
lsated by right motives conspire to cripple
him, to cast him out, to destroy him, say:
s'SSseinhea stoned When 1 see a man in
sonse great moral or religious reform battling
I against groS shops, exposing wictedness in
high placSsS by active means trying TO purify
| the Church and better the worlds es-
4 tate, and I find that the newspapcrs
anAthematize him, and mon, even good men
oppose him and dcnonnce him, because
thosgh he dos good, he does not do il in
tAeAr way, l say NSStephea Stoncd,n The
world, with inflnlte spite. took after John
ESeaeSsck 0terlin, and Robert MofFat, and
fanls and Stephen Of the text But Won
I,osSces my friends, that while they assaulted
him they did not sacccea really in killing
hSsA You may assault a good man, but Won
cannot kill HIM On the day of his DEATH.
Stephen spoke before a few people in the San,
hesr.mS this Sabbath morning he addresses
al Cerasse3ten Paul the Apostle stood
al e.l
philosophers who knew NOT so much about
scteasce as = modern school girl. To-day he
talks to all tho millions Of ChriStepdom
about the wonders az justification and the
gloEses u resurrection, John Wesley was
h0wied down by the mob % whom he prsached
ami they threw bricks az him, and they de-
nOancei him, and they lostled him and they
SPat upon him, and vet to-day, in all lands, he
Is admitted to be the great father Of Method
lSaaA RooahS bullet vacated the Presidential
esAairS hut from that spot Of coaglatcd blood
ca the floor in thu Gox Of Foras Theatre,
theTc SssrNNg M the new life Of a nation.
Stephen stoneds hut stephen alive.
fNSS On now, and see Stephen in his dying
prayer, His first thought was not how the
Stones hurt his head, nor what would become
q his eciy> His first thought was about his
sFSrit, Slsori JeSss, receive my SPIRIT The
murderer standing on the trap-door, the black
cap being drawn over his head before the ex-
ecNtlon. may grinAacc about the future; but
NVN and I have no shame in confesSing some
, anxiety about where we arr going 10 come out
N0N aTen0t all body, THERE'S within Won soul
l SEQ Il gAean frcm your eyes to-day, an
so Il lrTaalatlng your countcnance. Some
tiares I am abashea bsfore an audience,
leos 1eoaUse I cone under Your physical eye
SsyAt, hut because ] reali2e the truth that
stand eefoFe 80 many immortal spirits. The
probability is that your body will at last find
Sspeltare in some cf the cemeteries that
SAsrrWand this city. There is no doubt but
that y0ar oeseq0icS will he decent and re-
sacetf0l, and yo0 will he able 10 pillow your
lscad under the maple, or the Norway spruce,
or thu cypTcss, Sr the hluSseming fiI'; hut this
SFsrtt about which Shephen prayed, what Dir
EVetSea viii that take What guide will es-
e~St " What Kate will open TO receive
~ What cloud VIII he cleft for its pathways
After Il has got beyond tho hight of our sun,
will sheTe be torches lighted for the rest Of
~ the wsyt viii the soul have 30 travel
thrNsseA hing deserts befere IL reaches tho
goed laRat II Ne shonld lose our pathway,
ask the way 10 the cityf q. this mysterious
ssAarit within u.s. II hiss TIVE wings, but ID is
IN = cage now. h Is locked fast b. keep
W. hlt vt the dow q his cage open che least,
and that soal Is OF, Eagles wing could not
eStch u When the soul leaves the body il
takeS iifty worlds al a hound. And have |
M anxiety aeoat lts Have You no anxiety
Seont ~ do not care what you do with my
body when my soul is gone, or whether yon
believe IN cremation or illumination.
SHALL Seep just rs well in wrapping
I ~ SacSclcsh IS in satin lined
I Nave this house this morning viii find out
MhcEe u Is gong - land. Thank God for the
lntlnsAtsoa Il my text, that when we die
leSasS taksS Us That anSweSS all questions
, for me- What though there were massive
lSsrS hctwecn here and the city Of light, Jesus
grsNt SaharaS II darkness, Jesus could
lllonse them. What though I get weary
IN tho way, Christ could lift me on His
0aAnlp0sent shoulder. What though there
were ohaSsnS Ia cross, His hand could
tFansasort me- Then let Stephens prayer he
my diving htanys "Isord Jesus, receive my
saSrltn ltmay he in that hour we shall he
L too teehie 10 say a hong prayer. IL may be in
that hour we viii not he able TO say the
: l0EdS Prayer for il has seven petitions.
Perhaps Ne may Ne too feeble even 20 say the
infant prayer our mothers taught u.s. which
john Quincy Adams, scventy years Of age,
ssld every night when he put his head upon
his plll0WS
Now lay nc down 10 sleep
lpsay The lord my soal TO keep"
We may he TOO fccl,le To employ either Of
theSe fnilliar FORMS hut this prayer OF Ste
PAon Is ~ shcrt, Is ~ concise Is so earnest, is
Il ~ comprehensive, we surely will be able TO
SAY thatS sslsord Jesus, receive my spirit"
q. il that prayer is answered, how sweet 10
viii he 10 de, This world is clever enough
10 US. NeShaPsit has trcated us a great deal
better than We deserved 10 be treated;
but Il On the dying pillow there shall
bseak the light q that better world, we shall
have NJ us0Ee TNgret about leaving small,
dark, damp hoaSse for one large, beautiful,
and cSpacioaS, That dying minister in Phil
astelphSa, Souse years ago, beautifully depicted
/ Il when, in tho lass moment, he threw up his
harsiS and cried ent: Il move into the lightin
HASS On noWsand I will show one more
pSctnrc, and that is stephen asleep. With a
pAtAsos and simplicity peculiar 20 the Script
Ures the text says II Stephen "He fell
/ aSAepA ssO,n Won say, "what a place that
Was 10 Sacer, A hard rock under him, stones
falling down upon him, the blood streaming,
Inc mob h0wlis,s. What a place 70 was u
sAcspsH AMI yet my text takes that symbol
u Saauilscr - descril,c his departure, so
Sweet WAS IT, ~ contcntsd was it, 50
psacefal WAS n. stephen had lived
4 Vorv latoFious life HIS chief work
hAd leca - care for the poor. How many
lOaves ~ hrcad he distributed, how many
harc fect h. had saNiAlcd, how many cots OF
SickncSS AMI tliSaFvss he bleSsCd with minis
trseS ~ kindness and love. I do not know;
hut frVm the way hc lived, and the way he
pv,.sql,asl and tho NAV 10 slt.si l know he